The cold weather is blurring away all memories of Parisian picnics, I've been in the same country for over a month, and I'm beginning to forget how sunlight looks. In other words, a perfect storm of travel lust is brewing. But between my ever-tightening PhD student budget and the weather, I have no plans for exotic travels in the foreseeable future. Luckily, the home from which I can't afford escape happens to be a little place called Paris. Perhaps you've heard of it?
In this city, much like in New York, you can satisfy any craving, though here the seeker is generally restricted to business hours. Luckily, between the hours of 10am and 6pm, I could get my travel fix with a visit to the Musée Guimet, the Asian arts and history museum. In between the work/social life/winter blues fatigue, Peter and I squeezed in a second visit to pick up where we'd left off last October.
This time, my visit took me through historical China, Japan, and a bit of Korea, all of which were worlds away from the city on the other side of the museum doors. Here are some of the highlights from the visit:
Top left: a mask of a Japanese warrior from the 17th century, Second from left, top row: Inlaid woodwork dragon in a beautiful armoire, Third from left, top row: Burial attire for a Chinese warrior of the Liao Dynasty, 10th-11th century, Second to right, top row: Golden earrings from interior Mongolia, late 5th century, Top right: A tiger patterned sandstone pillow-- seriously, they used rocks for pillows!-- Jin Dynasty, China, late 12th century, Middle row, left: Image of Biashmonten, the god of warfare (in Japanese mythology) and generally an important figure in Buddhism, Japan, 19th century, Bottom left: There's something so timeless about the pose of these two Japanese girls from the 18th century. Can't you just see the lower one typing on a laptop as the two stare at the screen just out of view in the image? Second from left, bottom row: A vase from the Ming Dynasty, China, mid-15th century. (Yes, I have a thing for the dragon art, and more generally invented mythic creatures and demons across culture.) Second to right, bottom row: Korean epitaph for the prime minister of the king Songjong, 15th century, Bottom right: In keeping with the weekend's theme, on Friday night we tried our hand at sushi making, and you know it wasn't half bad!
The lack of sun and sufficient rest lured me from the museum to a cozy nap after only a couple of hours, but the visit was a satisfyingly Sunday-afternoon-sized travel fix before bidding my weekend adieu. Sending you all warm wishes from Paris!
In this city, much like in New York, you can satisfy any craving, though here the seeker is generally restricted to business hours. Luckily, between the hours of 10am and 6pm, I could get my travel fix with a visit to the Musée Guimet, the Asian arts and history museum. In between the work/social life/winter blues fatigue, Peter and I squeezed in a second visit to pick up where we'd left off last October.
This time, my visit took me through historical China, Japan, and a bit of Korea, all of which were worlds away from the city on the other side of the museum doors. Here are some of the highlights from the visit:
The lack of sun and sufficient rest lured me from the museum to a cozy nap after only a couple of hours, but the visit was a satisfyingly Sunday-afternoon-sized travel fix before bidding my weekend adieu. Sending you all warm wishes from Paris!
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